At the end of October, Jeff Immelt, GE's Chairman and CEO, hosted the official launch of GE's sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympic Games, with an event which brought together a range of stakeholders responsible for the delivery of the Games. This included more than 250 senior executives from the public and private sectors, including the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA).
The theme was how GE can help the city of London - and in a broader way the people of the UK - to deliver a lasting, positive legacy from the 2012 games.
Jeff Immelt, Sir Clive Woodward, the keynote speaker and Paul Deighton, CEO of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, headed a line-up of experts who spoke to guests about the legacy as it relates to the health of the British nation, the environment, and London's infrastructure.
Clive Woodward, who is well known for pushing the boundaries in sport and getting results, has recently taken up the role of Director of Elite Performance at the British Olympic Association. In his opening remarks, he spoke about the sporting legacy he hopes to achieve from London 2012. With 19 gold medals in Beijing, mainly in rowing, cycling and sailing, Team GB is certainly on an upward trend. The challenge, he said, is to build on this performance and to ensure the team is strong across all disciplines.
Talent alone is not enough, said Clive Woodward. Having the right attitude, the ability to think clearly under pressure, a deep knowledge and understanding of your sport and the will-to-win are all qualities that make a champion. He said that investing in facilities and professional coaches will help lead to an improved and sustainable legacy post-2012.
The other members of the first panel focused on the physical legacy of the Games, with Jeff Immelt saying it was vital for the 2012 Olympics to create a strong legacy in order to be considered a success.
He also emphasised that, in this time of economic uncertainty, London 2012 provides an area of potential investment for companies.
Jeff Immelt told the conference delegates, "The world has changed and the world will change - capitalism is being redefined as the intersection between government and industry. The Olympics give a forum to allow business and industry to interact with that not just for a year or two but for a long time. We believe that 2012 can be a turning point for London... investments in the Olympics will go to support societal problems such as healthcare and education."
During the day, guests were able to tour an interactive technology exhibition, which demonstrates how GE's cutting-edge technology can help business and society reduce their environmental impact without affecting performance. The exhibition was divided into five zones, each addressing an aspect of the legacy - building, powering, connecting, sustaining and ensuring a healthy legacy.
Both the panel sessions and the exhibition focused on topics such as smart and sustainable building for the future and more efficient energy generation and infrastructure. GE highlighted technologies ranging from healthcare and security systems to energy, power distribution and water technologies that GE businesses expect to implement for London 2012 and other UK infrastructure projects.
To coincide with the event, GE commissioned research to look at public opinion on the Olympic legacy. In the poll findings, job creation and economic prosperity were cited as the most important benefits of Olympic legacy. Better transport links were also the top priority for Londoners.
Meanwhile, 56% of respondents said that Team GB's recent gold medal success has bolstered their sense of national pride.
To view some of the key presentations and materials from the event please click here:
www.ge.com/uk/london2012legacy/press
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